Some more Tea, Jeeves!

The past week was full of very powerful, um... very meaningful protests, yeah. The "Tea Parties", held across the country were a gathering of Americans protesting the increase of taxes placed on them, and the ideal of hefty government spending as a whole. In these meetings, members of young republican clubs and other concerned citizens showed their solidarity against wasteful spending by, as John Stewart criticized, "buying one million tea bags and dumping them into the sea." I thought that was an interesting way to express their position. 

This whole event made me recall what they were really protesting, higher taxes. If you are holding up a sign calling for lower taxes, then it is almost assured that you make over $200,000 a year. That is if you're not into hardcore politics and strict political alining. The reason that one would be considered "wealthy" when participating in a Tea Party, is because President Obama has created one of the largest tax cuts for average Americans making under $200,000. In the end, I think the American public is seeing the reflex action by the wealthier segment of America as they now feel the burden of proportional earning taxation and a small bite out of their pocket. In the end, the visual argument was a rather weak one. 

Visual Arguments need a foundation of sound sense and purpose, and the Tea Parties certainly did not have that, and even worse, they needed the help of Fox News to convey their message. In a Think Progress analysis, one can see how much air-time and attention was paid to the Tea Parties, which seemed much less significant and powerful than the Anti-War and Stop the Hate protests that frequent the streets of American cities. If we could get big news corporations to film the issues that really matter, then perhaps our country could begin to progress, rather than regress to the possessive nature of toddlers.

War, huh, yeah. This should tell us to stop.

I was quite excited to hear about the opening of a Holocaust Museum in Skokie Illinois. The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center is scheduled to open on April 19th. Among the speakers at the opening of the 45 million dollar museum will be former president Bill Clinton and Nobel Prize winning author Elie Wiesel. I was very proud of the North Shore having a new and interesting museum so close, and cannot wait to go there. But with the excitement that goes along with the opening comes the sadness and remembrance that the museum will present to its visitors.

Hopefully this museum will instill a spirit into all that visit it to avoid war and to learn unconditional care for all people. And tere is a tone of bitter sweetness as the museum is opening in a the town where Nazi activists marched in the late 70's. If this opening instigates anger and movement in the radical fronts across the world, I think it is an act of war worth taking. 

Modern Modernism?

I was astounded when I saw a preview for a MSNBC show titled "Future Earth, Journey to the End of the World." 

This series will detail how our world will end, and how we will change our climate into a formidable foe. 

Shows like this have been popping up on many networks, and it got me thinking if there is any 

connection to the rise in apocalyptic fervor during the literary modernist era and Great Depression, and

the fact that we are in the second largest economic downturn since the country hit rock bottom

in the 30's.

Now, the apocalypse is a hot topic and has been so in the last few years. Movies like "The Day after Tomorrow" and "The Core", tickled the viewers curiosity in how our world will react when we are close to the end. But now, MSNBC is giving us a play-by-play on how we are going to go off this planet, instead of giving us wholesome programming like "To Catch A Predator", yeah. Anyway, this county needs not shows that scare us and ponder on our apocalypse, but rather informative shows on how we can make the biggest positive impacts on our world now. Perhaps it is the despair that coincides with economic woes that makes us turn to apocalyptic subject-matter. For me, I will stick to the  one and true gospel for how to act, "The Simspons". 

The show will premiere on April 26th. I will be watching it in my bomb shelter.

Trade you a Tornado for a Mudslide

I'll trade you a Hitler for a King James.

It seems that throughout history, humans have found a way to stand up for and exhibit agency towards oppressed people that have felt a similar pain as them. Early Americans felt and voiced their oppression while they strove for independence, and ever since we have felt the glories of democracy we have not hesitated as a country to go across the planet in order to spread democracy. There is some form of unwritten solidarity between people who have experienced similar oppression and exposure to danger. 

As Kentucky was glazed over-night in a thick and slick layer of ice, something in the news headlines triggered a response from Katrina victims to give back and help those who are as fortunate than them at the current time. Operation Blessing and the Southern Louisiana Baptist Church sent a group of volunteers up to the widows' and immobile people's homes in order to help rid the debris and ice, and remove tress ad branches damaged by the storm. There reason for going up to Kentucky was to give back after receiving so much help and aide after Katrina hit their state. 

I think that this episode of helping and agency shows how much we are capable of as a community and empathetic society. Agency and solidarity has helped our nation through many rough times. As times get tougher (let's not kid), I think we will see many more examples of agency so everyone can keep their homes and strive to fulfill the American dream. 

To see the news article on the ice storm heroes from CBN news,  click here

The NFL; a lesson in romanticizing

The moment we were assigned to uncovering an aspect of American life that is romanticized, one sporting organization in particular stood out from the rest. As the NFL has quickly gained ground as America's true pastime, the NFL advertising and promotions, partnered with the sports broadcasters intense coverage, make the NFL a perfect candidate for over rating and seemingly overzealous praise. 

The half-time show at the Super Bowl alone can show any person how much money and resources are poured into the NFL, and for the length and true dramatic effect of the spectacle, it just seems too much. 

But in a way, the NFL and its actions have made it appear romanticized for a while. From its roots in youth football, being seen as a sport of discipline and bravery, the heros that appear on Monday Night Football have certainly developed credibility from the people of America as individuals that can take a hit. But the mere hour of play seems to get way too much attention and praise than it deserves. Anyone who goes to an NFL stadium and views a game live sees the sport for its true elements, without the over-thought promotions and visuals. But to the majority of Americans who can't get tickets, they are forced to view the romanticized TV NFL, and its not nearly as good as the raw one.

What is Race, now?

It was during my third period class when I heard one of the most intriguing statements of the new year. Our class, which commonly gets off topic onto more "fun and relevant" topics, was talking about race. Before we could really get our words in, my teacher claimed that there is no such thing as race. No such thing as race? While I don't believe in attributing  any contrasts or differences onto others based on race, I feel like the teacher, given his or her position of ethos and impressionability should have provided a little more citation than "researchers say...". After all, I think that the message may have stuck on some of the students, and it is tickling me discuss what race really means. 

Race, in my definition, is the key attribute that helps determine the origin of a person. There is nothing more to it. 

A more expert definition of race, seen in the previous link, seems to sum it up as a "social construct", or something invented by people in order to classify and differentiate from people. So what does that leave for people trying to get a firm grip on what race is? I think it is wise to quote the words of one of our own AS teachers, Mr. Lawler, when he said that it is bull that anyone says race is non-existent. And I agree. Race, as a tool for oppression, was one of the ugliest manipulations of human thought. But that doesn't mean that race, as a measure for individuality and identity should be phased out and labeled non-existent, because the history of race in the United States is a troubled one. 

There is one valuable thing that we all receive from our race: agency. People of one race can and always will use their agency in their race to congregate as a community in order to voice opinions and to celebrate traditions. If we were suddenly told there is no such thing as race, are we suddenly expected to dispose of our old cultural traditions that make us unique in order to move into a more harmonious and uniform world? I, and I'm sure more people, don't like that idea.

Can You be Disobedient?

Henry David Thoreau was disgusted by slavery and the Mexican American War. In prosets, he offered the idea of civil disobedience. This is the act of being unruly in order to protest the government and its actions. I really took to this idea of being able to protest and be a non-conformist if you disagree with the government. 

In class on Thursday 12/12/08, we had a speaker come in and talk about her acts of cimil disobedience. A lady who had been arrested nearly 60 times in her life, all to protest what she thought was the government's abuse of power. The most dramatic of her tales was when she was in Iraq, against strict protocol, helping families that were affected by the US invasion. She conveyed to us with her voice and expression the same emotion that she must have felt while in Iraq. I was left speechless. She believes non-violent protest and civil disobedience are the most potent way of getting your voice heard.

My main question now is, can people perform acts of civil disobedience and still be active members of society? The speaker we had, after all, doesn't pay taxes and owns not a single automobile. So how can a New Trier student or faculty aspire to live in open protest to the government if we want, without being seen as strange or outcasts? 

The answer is... he or she probable cannot. In Thoreau's day, the government was still young and ripe for protest. Now, we are so used to the governments practices that any protest besides an anti-war march seems too edgy. I wish there was a way to open forum our protests to the government without having to break the law. 

Our speaker laid it out for us. In order to live her lifestyle, she made a decision to change her normal way of life. For a high school student wanting to go on to college and beyond, I just can't see myself being able to protest in such ways.